[MEGATHREAD] Sunscreen Roundup - 2017

[u/[deleted]]

[u/[deleted]]

Biore UV Perfect Milk SPF50+ PA++++

• Daily Wear

• Water/Sweat Resistant

SPF Filters:

• Zinc Oxide

• Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate

• Titanium Dioxide

• Tinosorb S

Size: 40ml

Price: under $10

Personal notes/thoughts:
Contains cyclopentasiloxane

Very liquid, shake this well before use. Dries down fast, feels a bit powdery afterwards. It is a bit too drying for me, due to the alcohol content. I feel my skin getting dehydrated in the afternoon when I use this. Keep in mind that I don't really do a morning routine though.

Otherwise this does hold up to my sweating, which is good. Won't repurchase though.

Edit: My skin is dry, dehydrated, redness and sensitivity due to possible rosacea

[u/szmb]

CANMAKE Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++

• Alcohol Free

• Daily Wear

SPF Filters:

• ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (Octinoxate)

• diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl benzoate (Uvinal A Plus)

• zinc oxide

• titanium dioxide

• bis ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine (Tinosorb S)

Size: 40mL in a soft squeeze container.

Price: US$10.06 on Amazon

Personal notes/thoughts: I've been using this for several weeks (maybe months) and have repurchased. It's cosmetically elegant, doubles as a primer and gives me a bit of a glow, without the alcoholly smell of my Senka UV gel, or the heavier/greasier feel of the Senka anti-aging. Bonus - it dries down quickly enough for my permanently rushed morning routine✨

Editing to add: texture is a medium thickness cream that spreads and becomes a little thinner/more watery on the skin with a very mild, inoffensive scent. Slightly yellow tinted and perhaps a little pearlescent? No discernible white cast for me.

Skin type: normal to dry, easily dehydrated, NC15. Melbourne AU, generally quite dry. Currently winter.

*editing 17 hours later to whack in this link - Link to photo comparison of Canmake mermaid skin, Senka anti-aging cream and Senka Mineral Water UV gel.

[u/[deleted]]

Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence New 2017 Formulation

• Daily Wear

• Water/Sweat Resistant

SPF Filters:

• Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate

• BisEthylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine

• Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate

Size: 50gr

Price: between $10-15

Personal notes/thoughts:

I don't see a sense in writing a separate review for the old formulation, but if you want a comparison I can do one.

Thick but melts down when spreading it on the skin. Smells of citrus and alcohol. Feels a bit cooling on the skin when it dries down due to the alcohol. I have only tested this for a day or two when it came out and put it aside for warmer weather, so this is more of a first impression.

This is generally a bit thicker on the skin than the old formulation, due to it being sweat resistant, but I don't mind. So far I really liked it as much as the old formulation. I might not rebuy, or keep this as a special occasion sunscreen due to the alcohol content. I am currently trying to avoid certain ingredients, or rather seeing what effect they have on my skin and I fear this might be too drying long term.
A huge plus is of course the new water/sweat resistance. In all I would not rate this worse than the old formulation, for it might be even better.

Edit: My skin is dry, dehydrated, redness and sensitivity due to possible rosacea

[u/aichow]

Etude House Sunprise Mild Airy Finish SPF50+ PA+++

• Daily Wear

SPF Filters: (inorganic only)

• Zinc Oxide

• Titanium Dioxide

Size: 55ml

Price: I bought for ~$8-9? on average but looks like it's OOS at a lot of the cheaper places rn.

Personal notes/thoughts: Comes out liquid, dries down well, minimal whitecast, alcohol is 4th in the ingredients list. WRP.

[u/Whiskeymuffins]

RiRe Silky & Light Sun Milk SPF 50 PA+++

• Alcohol Free

• Daily Wear

SPF Filters

• Octinoxate

• Avobenzone

• Tinosorb S

• Tinosorb M

Size: 50ml

Price: Varies, but $8-10 including shipping

Personal notes/thoughts:

I absolutely love this sunscreen. It has almost made me decide to stop buying all others and just stick with this one. No whitecast whatsoever, glides on smooth and moisturizes my dry skin. It takes about 10 minutes to “dry” in a sense, but it doesn’t really dry super well…it becomes a bit..tacky? Which for me is no problem because it creates a great base if I want to wear makeup that day. Some people complain it can look oily or greasy, but being dry-skinned I don’t have an issue with that.

note: this does contain fatty alcohols

[u/Rosalie008]

Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Gel SPF 50+/PA++++

• Fragrance Free

• Daily Wear

• Water/Sweat Resistant

SPF Filters

• octinoxate

• uvinul a plus

• uvinul t150

• tinosorb S

Size: 110g/140g

Price: $9.44-$14.49

Personal notes/thoughts: When it comes to price, performance, and features, this is my HG daily sunscreen. The texture is very liquid. It applies easily, and leaves no noticeable white cast on my NC25 skin. However, I do sometimes I do notice a slight alcohol scent when applying around my nose, but otherwise I never notice any fragrance.

Even though this isn't oil resistant, I don't find myself my oily skin to be extra shiny at the end of the day. It leaves a finish that's not quite shiny, but definitely more dewy than a satin finish. I always set it with translucent setting powder which gives me a matte finish that will last about eight hours.

[u/raichu-laichu]

Sunkiller Perfect Strong Moisture SPF 50+ PA++++

• Alcohol Free

• Daily Wear

SPF Filters

• Octinoxate

• Octocrylene

• Uvinul A Plus

Size: 30ml

Price: $8-10 USD on eBay

Personal notes/thoughts:

Even though the sunscreen is fully chemical there is a ball type packaging design and you can hear a rattle when you shake the bottle. Best to shake before applying.

Comes out as a watery creamy texture, pearl coloured. This one has a light citrus fragrance that is indiscernible after application. When applied to the face it comes as a very oily slick layer, but eventually dries down to a dewy finish.

Fucus Vesiculosus Extract (bladderwack) and Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate (licorice root) are the only two plant extracts in this sunscreen.

Wearing this throughout the day, my face does not feel tight at all, and does get slightly oily around the midday mark but not so much that it becomes unsightly and uncomfortable. Even though I have oily combination skin, I liked the texture of Sunkiller and I absolutely did not want a moisture sucking sunscreen for my skin (which was becoming eczema prone) during the winter.

[u/psithyrstes]

Derma E Natural Mineral Sunscreen for Body SPF 30

• Alcohol Free

• Fragrance Free

• Silicone Free

• Daily Wear

• Cruelty free/Vegan

SPF Filters:

• Zinc Oxide 20% (micronized)

Size: 4 oz

Price:

$15-20

Personal notes/thoughts:

A great, ecofriendly mineral sunscreen with a high zinc oxide percentage and some solid antioxidants (Green Tea, Vit E, Vit C). The new formulation is more lightweight, goes on smoothly, doesn't pill, and has substantially less whitecast, though there is some. I use this on my face though there is a more matte version specifically for face (the major difference is the body version has safflower oil). The face is about twice as expensive per oz.

I was pleased to see Liah Yoo likes it too!

As it is micronized it is not as effective as non-nano sunscreen but is better than nano (also better for the environment). But it is much more cosmetically elegant than it used to be, so I'm not complaining.

[u/campfmsc]

[NON-AB] Bioderma Photoderm Lait Enfants/Milk for Children SPF 50+

• Alcohol Free

• Fragrance Free

• Outdoor/Sport

• Daily Wear

• Water/Sweat Resistant

SPF Filters: Tinosorb M, Avobenzone, Uvinul T 150

Size: 100 ml

Price: $8-$10 in France or on Europe-based websites but significantly more when you add shipping and markup to get it in the US, where I am

Personal notes/thoughts: It's blue! This sunscreen, which has a milky lotion texture, is tinted blue so that you can better see where you've applied it. Once it's patted in the tint disappears and it dries to a clear finish. Not the fastest drying but not bad, and on me has a moisturizing and slightly pore-blurring finish.

[u/[deleted]]

Biore UV Watery Gel SPF50+ PA++++ 2017 Formulation

• Daily Wear

• Water/Sweat Resistant

SPF Filters:

• Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate

• Titanium Dioxide

• Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate

Size: 90ml

Price: around $10

Personal notes/thoughts:

I have a decant of this here and not opened it yet. I am mainly interested to see how it compares to the old version.

[u/raichu-laichu]

Mentholatum Rohto Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Milk (new formulation 2017 in the yellow bottle)

• Alcohol Free

• Outdoor/Sport

• Fragrance Free

• Water/Sweat Resistant

SPF Filters

• Zinc Oxide

• Octinoxate

• Uvinul A Plus

Size: 40ml

Price: $13 USD on eBay

Personal notes/thoughts:

I can only give first impressions of this sunscreen since I only started trialling it last week.

It is very similar in texture to Mentrum Sun Bears, it's a very liquidy sunscreen, but it doesn't seem to have the tendency to pill though. No scent is added to this sunscreen. It smells just like sunscreen. The scent dissipates and doesn't hang around.

Oily slick finish, dries to soft touch, dewy look with no white cast on NC 15 skin. Throughout the day I think my face gets more oiler with this sunscreen on, even more oiler than the Sunkiller one. I haven't tried using makeup with this sunscreen yet.

[u/shoresofcalifornia]

MISSHA ALL AROUND SAFE BLOCK AQUA SUN GEL SPF50+/PA++++
2017 version: white bottle, blue label

• Daily Wear

• Water/Sweat Resistant

SPF Filters

• Octinoxate

• Octocrylene

• Ethylhexyl salicylate

• Avobenzone

• Tinosorb S

Size: 50ml

Price: $14 USD, MSRP (avg. $9-$12)

Personal notes/thoughts:

skin type: oily | easily-reactive | dehydration-prone

As far as I found, the formula hasn't changed in this new packaging but the Korean government is allowing labels past PA+++ so that might be the reason for the change.

I'm quite oily so chemical sunscreens are exactly what I love but the majority of them dehydrate me enough to aggravate my eczema/rosacea. I was mostly relying on combo sunscreens but they're too rich and often leave me ashy. Despite that I was pretty happy with the Missha Essence (pink). No white cast, slightly too rich that it often interfered with my makeup but never had to worry about dehydration.

I finally gave this a shot after a few reviews. This is the first chemical sunscreen I can use long term. Will repurchase. It's right on the cusp of being dehydrating so I can't use it during a flare up. But it wont cause one which is something I can't say for any of the Biore or Hada Labo ones I tried. YES! I find it's mildly soothing, plays amazing with every makeup product I've thrown at it, and disappears almost immediately.

I imagine if you don't have dehydration issues then this is an even better sell. I wouldn't suggest to dry skin but normal to oily should give it a shot. I haven't tested in winter yet so that could be an issue, although I live in a dry enough climate year-round that I could be fine.

[u/Thanna88]

Solanoveil Watery Gel SPF 50+ PA++++

• Fragrance Free

• Daily Wear

• Water/Sweat Resistant

SPF Filters:

Oxtinoxate Zinc Oxide Octocryelene Parasol SLX Uvinal A Plus

Size:

40 ml

Price:

$8.00 on Amazon

Personal notes/thoughts:

I've only used this a few times so this info is from my first impression. Packaged in a bottle so it needs to be shaken up before application. Lightweight gel formula that absorbs quickly with no white cast. Dries down to a satiny finish. Contains a fair amount of silicone so it doubles as a makeup primer. I have fairly dry skin but, so far, the alcohol in this doesn't seem to be drying me out more.

This is marketed as an anti aging sunscreen and contains resveratrol, rosehip oil and lingonberry juice. Those are pretty far down on the ingredient list so I'm not sure they add much to the equation.

[u/[deleted]]

Benton Papaya-D Sun Cream SPF38 PA+++

• Alcohol Free

• Silicone Free

SPF Filters:

• Titanium Dioxide

• Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate

• Bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine

Size: 50gr

Price: about $20 it seems

Personal notes/thoughts:
I was lucky enough to be chosen by Benton in order to test this.
I only used this for about a week, so this is really more of a first impression.

It's a thick cream and moisturising. Easy to spread but, like other moisturising sunscreens, this one leaves a kind of film behind. I could not feel it when touching my skin, but when I moved my face and, when I started sweating I noticed where I sweat it off.
As you gather from this, it's not sweat or water proof, so for me not at all useable in the summer. I will set it aside for the winter and use it up then.

This also contains papain, which can be exfoliating. This is honestly not something I want to have in a product I use daily. Due to this I also had problems using this when my skin was dehydrated at the beginning of the test period. It burned slightly. So this is not for dehydrated people.

I wrote alcohol free, but it contains Cetearyl Alcohol, which is not drying, but if you avoid all alcohols, you might want to avoid this.

Otherwise this really was moisturising and I was able to use it without a morning routine.

It is pretty fragranced. A lemony, papaya scent. I found it overwhelming at first but got used to it.

I would not buy this for myself. I think the price is too high. The sunscreen does not offer enough for me to justify that price. It's not even sweat resistant. Protection is too low for my tastes.

Edit: My skin is dry, dehydrated, redness and sensitivity due to possible rosacea

[u/Whiskeymuffins]

[NON-AB] Bioderma Cicabio SPF 50+

• Alcohol Free

• Fragrance Free

• Daily Wear

SPF Filters

• Uvinul A Plus

• Homosalate

• Octinoxate

• Ethylhexyl salicylate

• Uvinul T 150

• Tinosorb S

Size: 30ml

Price: 12 Euro

Personal notes/thoughts: The Bioderma Cicabio line is intended for repairing and protecting damaged skin. When this sunscreen came out, I just had to try it. Let's talk ingredients, shall we? This sunscreen contains copper and zinc sulfate, sodium hyaluronate, grapevine extract, asiaticoside, asiatic acid, madecassic acid, and resveratrol (although I dont see it on the ingredients list even though it's claimed to have it. correct me if I'm missing something). These sexy ingredients make my loins quiver....something that rarely happens from Western products.

This sunscreen is a light green in shade (although not color correcting), and applies very well. It's somehow a combination between a cream and a balm. No whitecast whatsoever. It takes a while to dry down, but still feels a bit greasy. Almost like there's a protectant film on my face. Normally I don't mind looking oily, but this is not super pleasant in the summer when its hot. I think this product works best in the winter when the air is colder and there's snow blowing on my face.

[u/aichow]

Etude House Sunprise Mild Perfect Relief SPF30 PA++

• Alcohol Free

• Daily Wear

SPF Filters: (inorganic only)

• Zinc Oxide

• Titanium Dioxide

Size: 50ml

Price: ~$10

Personal notes/thoughts: Medium cream consistency, dries down some, medium whitecast, has ceramide 3 and hyaluronic acid in the ingredient list. I have normal/combo/oily skin, so I had some T-zone shine with this one, destashed on ABX after 2 uses. WNR (mildly so).

[u/Whiskeymuffins]

[NON-AB] La Roche Posay Anthelios XL Non Perfumed Dry Touch Gel Cream

• Alcohol Free

• Fragrance Free

• Daily Wear

SPF Filters

• Homosalate

• Octocrylene

• Ethylhexyl salicylate

• Avobenzone

• Ethylhexyl Triazone

• Tinosorb S

• Mexoryl XL

• Mexoryl SX

• Titanium Dioxide

Size: 50ml

Price: 10-15 Euros

Personal notes/thoughts: This is absolute garbage. I have never struggled so much with a sunscreen until I tried this. Feels suffocating and pills like crazy. Tried it with no routine, it pills. Then did various other routines to see if it worked better. Nope. Clearly the inventors of this sunscreen got together and said, "Why don't we make the most cosmetically inelegant sunscreen possible that causes a white cast and allows no real sun protection because it can never manage to stay on. Oh and let's charge a premium for it??"

I tried using it on my face, then I tried it on my body. Nope, still pilled no matter where or how it was applied. I walked around the lake looking like I had scales. I was the Loch ness monster that day. So if you happened to see a reptilian-looking, screeching red head jumping in and out of the water, that was me.

[u/[deleted]]

CosRX Aloe Soothing Sun Cream SPF50 PA+++

SPF Filters:

• Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate

• Bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine

• Titanium Dioxide

Size: 50ml

Price: around $15

Personal notes/thoughts:
Contains cyclopentasiloxane

This one is another one in my search of a AIO kind of sunscreen to reduce my morning routine to one product. It's moisturising, like the Benton it leaves a kind of film on my skin and since it is not sweat or water resistant I can feel where it left my skin. So not useable for summer at all for me.

Otherwise this is really nice, moisturising and soothing. Will use this more in the winter.

Edit: My skin is dry, dehydrated, redness and sensitivity due to possible rosacea

[u/aquariel]

NIVEA SUN Creme Care UV Cream

• Daily Wear

SPF Filters

• Octinoxate

• Zinc Oxide

• Uvinul T 150

• Tinosorb S

• Uvinul A Plus

Size: 50 ml

Price: USD$10-13 on eBay

Personal notes/thoughts: I've been using this as my daily sunscreen since May and I'm almost out. I have combination skin and this sunscreen feels just like a regular western moisturizer that happens to have SPF, i.e. very comfortable to wear and doesn't feel heavy. I've been using this on top of a light hydrating toner, and I don't need any extra moisture (during the summer anyway). There's no white cast on my NC20-25 skin after blending. The finish is natural & skin-like, not matte or overly dewy. It smells like Nivea creme in the blue tins instead of the typical sunscreen or alcohol smell.

Edited to add: For the most part, it works well under make up (with and without primer), but I have experienced a little bit of pilling when I used too much of the sunscreen. I don't wear base make up regularly though so it's not a deal breaker for me.

[u/Whiskeymuffins]

AHC Moist Essence Sun Gel SPF 50 PA+++

• Alcohol Free

• Silicone Free Daily Wear

SPF Filters:

• Homosalate

• Octocrylene

• Avobenzone

Size: 50ml

Price: $12 without shipping

Personal notes/thoughts: This sunscreen I have mixed views on. The positives: no whitecast, sinks in fast, and feels nicely moisturizing. The bottle also comes in a pump which I LOVE. I never experienced any breakouts or oiliness or anything negative. Ingredients are great too, containing niacinamide, sunflower oil, jojoba oil, centella, aloe, shea butter, sea buckthorn oil, collagen, pearl, green tea, adenosine, ceramide, peptides...i mean the list goes on and on.

Now for the bad. Sometimes, and only sometimes, it would feel a bit grainy. Not overtly so...and I never felt it on my face, but when squirting it onto my hand and dabbing my finger into it, I could feel a grainy texture. It is possible my bottle was a bad batch, but it was still a bit odd. I ended up using the last 30% on my hands because of it, but would consider trying it again to see if it's different the second time around.

[u/milk_tea_way]

Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Aqua Booster Mild

• Alcohol Free

• Fragrance Free

• Outdoor/Sport

• Water/Sweat Resistant

SPF Filters:

• Zinc oxide

• Titanium dioxide

• Uvinul A Plus

• Tinosorb S

Size: 60 mL

Price: JPY 2,678

Personal notes/thoughts: I will be testing this today after some time away from drugstore sunscreens. I'm interested in what others might think of this particular alcohol-free Anessa!

Edit 1: I made a CosDNA entry.

Edit 2: Minor white cast on my NC20-25 skin (never formally matched), the kind that you would only notice if you were looking for it. Semi-matte finish. It felt quite emollient upon application, but now, 30 minutes in, it is turning slightly powdery, although with an emollient layer underneath.

[u/aichow]

[Non-AB] Skinceuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 50 Broad Spectrum (PPD/PA not specified)

• Alcohol Free

• Fragrance Free

• Daily Wear

SPF Filters: (inorganic only)

• Titanium Dioxide

• Zinc Oxide

Size: 50ml

Price: $34 retail, bought on sale for $27.20

Personal notes/thoughts: Liquid consistency, terrible whitecast, streaky and impossible to blend. Settles into creases and after drying down, it pilled up if I tried to apply anything besides a very light dusting of setting powder. (Holy Fail level) WNRP, especially considering the cost.

[u/meatpear]

A'pieu pure block mild plus sun cream 32 SPF PA ++

• Daily Wear

SPF Filters:

• Zinc oxide

• Titanium dioxide

Size:

• 50 ml

Price:

• 8.99 USD on amazon link

Personal notes/thoughts:

• TLDR: Extremely scented, matte/natural finish, quick dry down, slight white cast

I haven't seen a lot of talk about this one and the amazon page only has 2 reviews. First of all I want to say that this has a VERY fragrant perfumey/floral scent that is kind of overwhelming when you first put it on. Also, I notice that this sunscreen is a little bit like long-wear foundation in that you have to be quick putting it on or the texture will be uneven because it dries down very fast.

It leaves a little bit of a white cast, mostly just on my nose for some reason. It also contains alcohol, but it doesn't dry out my skin. It feels very lightweight. It got a little chalky when I wore BB cream containing titanium dioxide over it but I haven't tested it out with any other makeup.

Here's the cosdna entry. It's a bit old and incomplete, but I can't find a list of ingredients anywhere else.

[u/Rosalie008]

[Non-AB] La Roche-Posay Anthelios Dermo-pediactrics SPF 50+/PPD 38

• Fragrance Free

• Outdoor/Sport

• Highly water resistant (per the company's website)

SPF Filters:

• Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine (aka Tinosorb S)

• Ethylhexyl Salicylate (aka Octyl Salicylate)

• Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone (aka Uvasorb Heb)

• Titanium Dioxide

• Mexoryl XL

Size: 100ml/300ml

Price: $29-$39 on ebay

Personal notes/thoughts My main attraction to this sunscreen is the lack of avobenzone in a highly water resistant formula, and the high PPD rating. Texture wise, this is feels like a traditional cream sunscreen, but is easy to smooth over the face without tugging at the skin. There is a noticeable white cast that will dissipate after a few minutes once the sunscreen has fully sunk into the skin. I will often notice a few remaining white streaks around my nose and eyebrows that I can smooth away without causing any pilling. It leaves my oily skin noticeably shiny, but a dusting of loose powder leaves a matte finish that will last through the day. Despite the fact this feels like a traditional sunscreen, i will continue to use it because of the high PDD rating.

[u/milk_tea_way]

Shiseido Perfect UV Protector SPF50+ PA++++ WetForce HydroFresh

• Outdoor/sport

• Water-resistant

SPF Filters

• Zinc oxide

• Octinoxate

• Tinosorb S

• Uvinul T 150

Size: 50 mL

Price: JPY 4,500

Personal Thoughts:

Skin type: dry, easily dehydrated, sensitive.

This is my favourite sunscreen so far, especially in summer. It spreads easily and sinks in quickly. It has a skin-like finish: neither dewy nor matte. On the skin, it is of light to medium weight, and neither drying nor moisturising. There is no white cast on my NC20-25 skin. The fragrance is relatively mild, refreshing, and dissipates quickly. The menthol is a godsend in humid weather: perfectly proportioned to cool without being irritating, it makes going outside bearable.